Cyprus, 1982

I should like at

the outset to congratulate you warmly, Sir, on

your election to the high post of President of

the thirty- seventh session of the General

Assembly and to assure you of our full

co-operation and support. Having known you

personally for a long period of time and being in

a position to appreciate your outstanding

qualities, I am confident that under your most

able leadership the Assembly will conduct

fruitful deliberations and that it will

successfully pursue the many important issues

which are pending before it. In paying a

well-deserved tribute to you on this occasion, I

recall the excellent relations we maintain with

your country, Hungary.

2. At the same time I should like to express

our sincere feelings of appreciation to your

predecessor, Mr. Kittani of Iraq, for the

exemplary way in which he presided over the

deliberations of the thirty-sixth session of the

General Assembly and the resumed and special

sessions.

3. Almost four decades ago, following the

deliberations at Dumbarton Oaks, representatives

of 50 countries assembled in San Francisco to

draft the Charter of the United Nations, an

organization which was established with the

objective of saving future generations from the

scourge of war. As a culmination of man's

historic yearning for peace and justice and

having just witnessed the ravages of the Second

World War, the founding fathers manifested a new

spirit of unity and co-operation in their noble

pursuit of upholding mankind's lofty ideals of

peace, freedom and justice.

4. As we approach the fortieth anniversary

of the United Nations, the peoples of the world

would naturally expect us to renew our commitment

to the letter and spirit of the Charter, which

should guide our thoughts, our deliberations and

above all our actions. A total, unequivocal and

unconditional commitment by all States to the

principles enshrined in the Charter would

undoubtedly contribute to the strengthening of

the effectiveness of the United Nations which is

so much needed, particularly as regards the

paramount goal of promoting international peace

and security.

5. It is in this spirit that the Republic of

Cyprus is participating in the deliberations of

the thirty- seventh session of the General

Assembly. We strongly believe in the United

Nations and, in spite of its present weaknesses,

we trust that the day will come when its

principles will prevail all over the globe. We

regard the principles of the Charter as the

cornerstone of our political credo and the main

shield of our security, for we hold that the only

assurance of peace and survival is freedom and

justice.

6. Beyond the pledges of dedication,

however, each new session also gives an

opportunity to take stock of the world situation.

The attention of the world community is focused

on the major problems which are debated here,

especially in these days when international peace

and security are in serious jeopardy owing to the

confrontations and hostilities which we have

witnessed this year. The situation is grim and

the prospects ominous. Never before since the

coming into existence of the United Nations has

the world slid into such a predicament.

7. We are in the midst of such a depressing

deterioration of the world political and

economic situation that the possibility of

general conflagration looms menacingly on the

horizon. Detente is not nowadays a feature in the

international situation. It is the opposite that

now prevails. We are living in a world

characterized by continuous insecurity and

crises, where the use of force is the order of

the day. And what is even worse is that

aggression, violation of human rights and

terrorism remain unpunished and unremedied

because of the failure of the Members of the

United Nations, and in particular those that are

members of the Security Council to give the

Council the necessary means for the enforcement

of its resolutions. The failure of the United

Nations to deal effectively with world problems

causes a serious crisis of confidence which

erodes the very usefulness of the organization.

8. The remarks of the Secretary-General in

his report on the work of the Organization are

very pertinent, he said:

"Certainly we have strayed far from the Charter

in recent years. Governments that believe they

can win an international objective by force are

often quite ready to do so, and domestic opinion

not infrequently applauds such a course. The

Security Council, the primary organ of the United

Nations for the maintenance of international

peace and security, all too often finds itself

unable to take decisive action to resolve

international conflicts and its resolutions are

increasingly defied or ignored by those that feel

themselves strong enough to do so. Too frequently

the Council seems powerless to generate the

support and influence to ensure that its

decisions are respected, even when these are

taken unanimously. Thus the process of peaceful

settlement of disputes prescribed in the Charter

is often brushed aside. Sterner measures for

world peace were envisaged in Chapter VII of the

Charter, which was conceived as a key element of

the United Nations system of collective security,

but the prospect of realizing such measures is

now deemed almost impossible in our divided

international community. We are perilously near

to a new international anarchy."

9. The dismal performance of the

international community in the execution of its

duty to respect and honour the Charter is

portrayed very aptly and clearly by that

statement of the Secretary-General. And although

the findings of all of us, as set out in speeches

before the Assembly, are identical with the

conclusions of the Secretary-General, those who

wield power do not appear to be willing to take

the necessary remedial action.

10. That crisis of confidence was recently

further accentuated by the failure of the twelfth

special session, the second special session

devoted to disarmament, to call a halt to the

ever-escalating arms race, and to conform to the

directives of the Pinal Document of the Tenth

Special Session of the General Assembly for the

creation of an effective collective international

security system, concurrently with disarmament.

The Final Document is emphatic and clear in

asserting that "Genuine and lasting peace can

only be created through the effective

implementation of the security system provided

for in the Charter of the United Nations and the

speedy and substantial reduction of arms and

armed forces".

11. It has all along been our position that

disarmament cannot be achieved in isolation,

without simultaneously setting into motion the

system of international security through the

United Nations. Only after collective security

establishes confidence and States are no more

victims of aggression, can disarmament be

effectively dealt with. Such confidence is at

present lacking and, as a result, the arms race

continues unabated. The world lives constantly

under the threat of a holocaust. Mankind is

confronted with new, more sophisticated and more

destructive weapons, posing an unprecedented

threat of annihilation and extinction.

12. The colossal amounts laid out on

armaments is an additional important element of

strain and also a continuous drain on the

economies of nations. A considerable part of

mankind, living under conditions of deprivation

and starvation, is compelled to watch helplessly

while vast amounts and resources are diverted to

the accumulation of deadly nuclear weapons. Thus

we have the paradox of man adopting and fostering

the means of destruction in his effort to survive.

13. The nuclear arms control talks between

the two super-Powers, which were resumed last

week in Geneva following their two-month summer

recess, justifiably attract the attention of all

peoples in all continents, for upon their outcome

lies to a considerable extent the greatly

desired return to detente and consequently to the

securing of conditions for the peaceful solution

of international problems. Their success would be

a major contribution to peace. That is why Cyprus

joins all peace-loving countries in urging that

the utmost effort be exerted for their success.

14. The present bleak picture dictates that

the state of world affairs cannot and should not

remain unchecked. It has consistently been the

position of Cyprus that the Security Council

should be given the means for enforcement action

for the maintenance of peace and security through

the availability of a United Nations force, as

called for in Article 43 of the Charter. Such a

development would act as a catalyst to the arms

race and would make the decisions of the United

Nations binding in a real sense. We have

maintained all along that we should concentrate

not merely on the adoption of resolutions and

declarations, but also —which is certainly more

important—on their implementation. This is an

absolute necessity if the United Nations is to

perform the task entrusted to it by humanity. Let

us listen to the voice of our Secretary- General

and commence without further delay the process

towards remedying the situation. If we fail to do

so, we will not be doing our duty and the very

future of the United Nations will be at stake,

with the net result that anarchy and chaos will

continue increasingly to prevail in the world

instead of the rule of law and the principles of

the Charter.

15. Recent debates on the question of

Palestine and Lebanon brought to the foreground

and demonstrated in a crude and tragic way the

inability of the Organization to fulfill its

paramount responsibility of maintaining

international peace and security. Ten Security

Council resolutions went unheeded whilst the

tragic siege of Beirut and the indiscriminate

bombing and shelling were going on. The

Organization stood literally helpless while the

Palestinians were targeted for extinction.

16. In expressing my deep concern in this

respect, I made a proposal for the convening of a

special session of the General Assembly to deal

with the question of the implementation of United

Nations resolutions. Developments since then, as

boldly and clearly elaborated upon in the report

of the Secretary-General, have strengthened my

conviction that it is imperative that the General

Assembly should, as a matter of urgency, consider

this question in depth with the aim of producing

definite and positive results. While repeating my

proposal for a special session, for which

consultations may commence, I today propose

formally the inclusion in the agenda of this

current session of a separate item entitled

"Implementation of the resolutions of the United

Nations" and I have instructed the delegation of

Cyprus So enter immediately into appropriate

consultations in this respect. I urge the General

Assembly to accept the inclusion of this item and

to attach to it the importance it deserves. I am

confident that a full and constructive debate on

this item will result in setting in motion the

proper process for finding the right answer to

this extremely serious and outstandingly

significant issue.

17. The contradictions between the

expectations of mankind and the performance of

the United Nations are also illustrated by the

absence of any meaningful progress in the

North-South dialogue for a more equitable

distribution of wealth. It would not be an

exaggeration to say that ours is a civilization

of opulence and abundance and at the same time of

famine and deprivation, a civilization of "haves"

and "have nots". While about a tenth of the

population of developing countries is exposed to

starvation, a quarter suffers from malnutrition

and the rest lives in deprivation and

destitution, others can spend lavishly and live

comfortably. The International Meeting on

Co-operation and Development, held at Cancun in

1981, unfortunately failed to remedy that

disparity and socio-economic injustice.

18. The perpetuation of the North-South

dichotomy, of the highly unbalanced distribution

of wealth, not only is a stigma on our

civilization but also poses considerable

obstacles to any efforts to deal with related

political issues confronting the world.

19. Interdependence, which is one of the main

traits of the political and economic

international life of today, reinforces the need

to define the content of the new international

economic order and of reaching an acceptable

agreement. Our commitment to international peace

and security and to the uniform progress of

mankind makes us even more determined to work

resolutely towards the establishment of the new

international economic order.

20. The failure to get the global round of

negotiations off the ground so far is

disappointing. Despite the fact that certain

areas of agreement have been identified, it has

not proved possible to reach agreement on basic

pre-conditions. But I repeat: we all share a

responsibility towards mankind, towards future

generations. We cannot let them down. And the

responsibility of those who can afford to make

concessions to ensure the success of this

objective is even heavier. We must redouble our

efforts, brushing aside the disappointments and

bitter experiences of the past, and strive even

harder for success. It is neither simple nor easy

to reach solutions based on principles. On the

other hand, only such solutions will be lasting

and effective.

21. Once again we reiterate our belief that

the principles of non-alignment are becoming

even more relevant today than when they were

first formulated and disseminated. In the light

of the realities of today's international

situation, the principles of non-alignment

provide small countries with the foundation upon

which they can build a structure of positive

relationships with all countries without being

drawn into bloc rivalries.

22. Cyprus, one of the founding members of

the movement, is today, 21 years later, proud to

note that non-alignment has contributed

positively to the promotion of peace and to the

prevalence of the principles of justice and

freedom. The role of the non- aligned movement in

international affairs has been consolidated and

there can be no question as to its significance.

In fact, the purposes of non-alignment as regards

detente and the peaceful solution of

international problems and its goals of freedom,

justice and lasting peace in the world are the

purposes and goals of mankind. We Shall

consistently follow the policy of non-alignment

and shall continue actively to participate in the

efforts and the activities of the movement as we

have been doing since its inception.

23. Equally, I wish to stress the

significance of the continuation of the

Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe

and the application of all the principles and

provisions of the Helsinki Final Act, to which

Cyprus reaffirms its commitment. Together with

the other neutral and non-aligned countries of

Europe, we are doing our utmost for the success

of the follow-up Conference to be reconvened in

Madrid in November, which will substantially

contribute to genuine detente in Europe and will

enhance the prospects of peace throughout the

world.

24. The Middle East crisis continues,

confounded and bedeviled as never before, and it

will not be solved without the withdrawal of

Israel from all the territories it has occupied

since 1967 and without the solution of the

Palestinian question with the participation on

an equal footing of the Palestine Liberation

Organization [PLO], the sole, legitimate

representative of the Palestinian people. We

hold the view that the Middle East problem is one

of the most serious problems facing the world

today and threatening international peace, and at

its core is the Palestinian question. The

inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to

dignity and freedom must be recognized. And the

aspirations of the Palestinians to the creation

of an independent and sovereign Palestinian State

must be realized.

25. That has been our consistent and

principled position on the Middle East and we

shall keep striving within the context of the

United Nations, along with the other members of

the non-aligned movement to contribute to a just

and lasting solution to that problem. It was in

line with this brotherly solidarity with the

people of Palestine, Lebanon and the Syrian Arab

Republic and the non-aligned movement that we

acted as host from 15 to 17 July in Nicosia tothe

Extraordinary Ministerial Meeting of the

coordinating Bureau of Non-Aligned Countries on

the question of Palestine. In the same spirit,

Cyprus participated in the Ministerial Committee

formed at that meeting which had a number of

constructive contacts aimed at the promotion of

the rights of the people of Palestine.

26. We reaffirm our full support for the

sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity

and unity of much- tormented Lebanon. The

abhorrent massacre of Palestinian civilians,

women and children, has appalled and brought

unparalleled shock to our people and has

underlined the need for effective measures for

the protection of all the population in Lebanon.

27. The war between Iraq and the Islamic

Republic of Iran continues unabated, causing much

loss of life and property to two countries in the

non-aligned movement. This is another tragic

example of the inability of the Organization to

meet its primary objectives of maintaining peace

and security and ensuring the peaceful settlement

of disputes between States.

28. There is hardly any other issue in

international relations in regard to which the

world community has been able to arrive at a

higher level of understanding and agreement than

the imperative need for the elimination of all

forms of racial discrimination and in particular

of its worst manifestation, namely, the odious

doctrine of Yet this abhorrent doctrine is

still alive, and so are other practices of racial

discrimination, emanating either from internal

oppression or from foreign aggressive designs.

South Africa, most notably, persists in its

defiant attitude towards the United Nations by

flouting and ignoring the decisions of the

Organization, by denying every single tenet

embodied in the Charter and by failing to respect

the basic principles of the equal rights of

individuals and the self-determination of peoples

without distinction as to race, religion or sex.

29. I wish to reiterate once again our

solidarity with the people of South Africa, and

indeed all oppressed peoples under colonialist

regimes and foreign domination who continue to

struggle for freedom, equality and justice. We

also reiterate our whole-hearted support for the

people of Namibia and express our conviction that

their just struggle will succeed. To this end it

is necessary that Security Council resolution 435

(1978) be strictly and urgently implemented as a

whole, to enable the people of Namibia to take

its rightful place as an independent State. We

also voice again our solidarity with the

front-line States in southern Africa and condemn

South Africa's acts of aggression against those

countries, which are shouldering a major part of

the struggle for the eradication of the evil of

Mf.

30. Despite the formidable achievements and

the concerted efforts continuously exerted to

bring about decolonization, there are still

territories under colonial or neo-colonial rule.

I take this opportunity to declare once again

that Cyprus fully supports all the efforts of the

United Nations for the eradication of the last

vestiges of colonialism in various parts of the

world, as well as for the adoption of measures

aimed against the revival of colonialism.

31. In that context I would mention the case

of Western Sahara, where the principle of

self-determination has not yet been applied.

Contrary to the numerous General Assembly

resolutions on this subject, the Sahraoui people

have not yet been allowed to exercise their

inalienable rights.

32. I do not propose to refer specifically to

the many other cases of destabilization,

conflict, dispute and Confrontation which are

scattered all over the globe. The increase in

their number, extent and intensity simply points

to the fact that man's future is in the balance.

33. Perhaps in no other United Nations

activity do we observe such a degree of

discrepancy between the resolutions we adopt and

the realities we witness as in the Held of human

rights. It is really frustrating and saddening to

note the ever-increasing gap between rhetoric and

real human attitudes and action. Even more

saddening is the helplessness or passivity with

which the international community watches mass,

flagrant and horrible violation of basic human

rights and fundamental freedoms, unable or

unwilling to do anything decisive and effective

about it. That is why we should concentrate on

ways and means to ensure effective and strict

respect for human rights. That is why we should

welcome and strongly support the trend which has

appeared in recent years towards conventions

which have a built-in machinery for the

implementation of their provisions. The

International Convention on the Elimination of

All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the

International Covenant on Civil and Political

Rights are such cases, and they must be followed

by others.

34. Cyprus has consistently supported the

need for all to collaborate in the establishment

of a new world information and communications

order based, inter alia, on the free circulation

and wider and better balanced dissemination of

information, guaranteeing the diversity of

sources and free access to information. We

maintain that it is imperative to change the

dependent status of the developing countries in

the field of information and communication, which

is an integral part of the development process.

35. We salute the agreement reached on the

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,'

despite some negative votes, after eight years of

intensive consultations and negotiations, to

which Cyprus made its modest contribution. The

importance of this achievement can hardly be

over-emphasized. It marks the advent of a new era

in which the nations of the world, old and new,

rich and poor, from the entire political

spectrum, have agreed to set the rules that

should govern the use and exploitation of the

resources of our common heritage in the seas and

oceans. The successful completion of the

Convention, which also regulates the many other

aspects of the law of the sea, enhances the

prospects for international co-operation and

makes a very necessary contribution to the

prestige of the United Nations.

36. The problem of Cyprus continues to be one

of the most serious international problems,

threatening peace and security in the sensitive

area of the eastern Mediterranean. This situation

is yet another example of the inability of the

United Nations to act by implementing its own

resolutions. Eight years have elapsed since

Turkish troops invaded Cyprus and occupied more

than 36 per cent of its territory; eight years of

agony, after the devastation and pillage, in

which all human rights have been and continue to

be violated by Turkey; eight years of the crude

act of occupation.

37. Cyprus has come through many tribulations

during its proud 7,000-year history but has never

before experienced such a sinister operation: an

operation whereby the occupation is coupled with

the systematic attempt to change the demographic

character of the occupied part; an operation

whereby the indigenous population of the occupied

territory was savagely ousted from its

birthplace. A birthplace does not belong to any

given generation of people. It is perennial in

character; it belongs to history. So the

aggression of Turkey against Cyprus is not only a

present-day violation of sovereignty and

territorial integrity: it is also a sacrilegious

trespass on one of the oldest recorded histories

of the world. The Turkish aggression and

occupation brought upon Cyprus many scars which

cannot be healed as long as the violation of our

sovereignty and territorial integrity persists,

as long as the Turkish army of occupation is on

our territory.

38. Eight years have elapsed and we are still

trying to trace the fate of more than 1,600

persons, missing since the invading forces set

foot on Cyprus. In spite of unflagging efforts,

in spite of a number of resolutions adopted by

the Assembly, no progress has been made on this

purely humanitarian issue. We call upon the

international community to make its voice heard

more clearly and loudly in Ankara, so that a

workable arrangement may be achieved to trace in

a proper manner the fate of the missingpersons.

39. I stand at this rostrum once again to

convey to the Assembly the protest of the people

of Cyprus at the continued Turkish occupation

and, in general, at the contemptuous way in which

Turkey has been treating the resolutions of the

United Nations on the question of Cyprus, and to

reiterate our demands for their strict and full

implementation. The words of the

Secretary-General in his report, which still

reverberate in this Hall, were really scathing

and severely censorious of those who failed to

comply with United Nations resolutions and of

those who try "to win an international objective

by force".

40. The facts with regard to Cyprus are well

known to the Assembly. Although we are victims of

aggression and occupation, we have mustered all

good will in the quest for a lasting solution and

permanent peace. The intercommunal talks, which

have been going on in Cyprus for a long time,

have produced no results of any substance due to

the intransigent and negative attitude of Turkey.

It is incumbent upon the international community,

and particularly those who possess the necessary

influence, to make Turkey remove its forces of

occupation from, and abandon its sinister designs

against, Cyprus and comply fully with the

resolutions of the United Nations.

41. Together with my assurances that we for

our part shall continue to strive hard for a

peaceful solution in conformity with the

resolutions of the United Nations, I must

categorically state once again that under no

circumstances shall we accept the results of the

crime committed against Cyprus or any solution

which directly or indirectly might lead to the

division and partition of Cyprus or amount to the

abandonment of the inherent rights of the people

of Cyprus, such as the right of the refugees to

return to their homes and properties. We envisage

a completely independent, sovereign,

territorially integral, federal, united,

demilitarized and non-aligned Republic of Cyprus,

in which all citizens, whether Greek Cypriots or

Turkish Cypriots or Maronites or Armenians or

Latins, will be able to enjoy fully their human

rights and fundamental freedoms and co-operate

for a happy and prosperous future in peace and

freedom for generations to come. Our aspiration

is to turn Cyprus Rom a place of conflict into a

place of peace, something which would be a

significant contribution to the cause of

international peace and security. We aspire to

turn Cyprus into a bridge of understanding and

co-operation between three continents.

42. I have no doubt whatsoever that, if

foreign intervention and interference cease and

the unity of the country and the people is

restored, there would be no problem which could

not be overcome. In a genuine desire to ensure

lasting peace in our much tormented country, I

put forward some time ago the proposal for the

total demilitarization and disarmament of

Cyprus. I declared that we would be prepared to

agree to the stationing in the Republic of Cyprus

for as long as necessary, of an international

United Nations police force which would supervise

a united mixed Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot

police force composed in accordance with the

population ratio. I reiterate once again my

proposal. The Greek Prime Minister, Mr.

Papandreou, offered to withdraw

from Cyprus the small Greek contingent stationed

under the 1960 Treaties, provided, of course,

that all the Turkish troops are withdrawn, in

which case Greece would be prepared to pay for

the additional expenses for an increased

international force of the United Nations. We

support this generous proposal of the Greek Prime

Minister, which was set out before the Assembly

again in the statement of the Minister for

Foreign Affairs of Greece [//f%

43. The time has really come for the

international community to act resolutely in

order to give effect to its own verdict in regard

to Cyprus. This unacceptable situation cannot go

on indefinitely. It is because of the lack of any

progress towards a solution of the Cyprus problem

and because of Turkey's continuous disregard of

the relevant United Nations resolutions that we

have asked for a new debate on Cyprus by the

General Assembly in an effort to employ ways and

means and take any steps and measures necessary

to promote the implementation of the relevant

United Nations resolutions. I call upon the

Assembly to act effectively so that a potential

source of danger can be removed in the interests

of peace and international security and for the

sake of the most sacred principles for which the

United Nations stands.

44. I fervently hope that mankind will come

to its senses before it is too late, before the

"international anarchy" to which the

Secretary-General referred in his report becomes

a way of life on this planet with all the grave

implications this would entail for the very

survival of humanity. We trust that, under the

guidance of the United Nations leadership, a new

mentality will prevail and that, with the full

support and co-operation of each and every Member

State, a new era will dawn, not of anarchy and

conflict, but of peace, justice and

international legal order in accordance with the

principles of the United Nations. To this noble

objective we for our part pledge our dedication

and full support.